Walter J. "Walt" Gdowski

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Walter J. “Walt” Gdowski, age 78, of Carmel, Indiana. A Trenton, New Jersey native, Walt called Carmel his home for more than half of his life.

Walt was born in August 1946 to Walter and Margaret Gdowski. Just after graduating in 1964 from Ewing (N.J.) High School, Walt was signed to a semi-pro football contract and played briefly for the NFL New York Jets’ farm team.

Walt’s first engagement with the insurance business was when he joined The Rough Notes Company in 1978 as a regional sales representative—helping independent insurance agents and brokers to improve their operations using the company’s manual and automated agency billing and accounting systems. He sold advertising for the firm’s two publications, Rough Notes magazine—the oldest national publication serving the insurance industry— and Life and Health Insurance Sales.

After being promoted to national sales manager and then vice president of sales and marketing, Walt was elected president and CEO of The Rough Notes Company; in January 1994, he purchased the firm. In 2000, Walt launched the Rough Notes Community Service Award, honoring independent agents, brokers and their firms for charitable work in local communities.

Over his time in the industry, Walt received numerous honors, as well, including the Insurance Marketing Communications Association’s Golden Torch Award, the CPCU Society Central Indiana Chapter Excellence Award, and the Insurance Media Association Hall of Fame, where he was a 2006 inductee.

A long-time avid golfer—at one point, scratch—and golf advocate, Walt in recent years has been known in the community as a warbird pilot, flying one of his three World War II training planes after earning his pilot license at the age of 52.

More than his contributions to the insurance industry, Walt was a loving brother to sisters Marjorie Ann (Ronald) May and Cynthia (Samuel) Berman; uncle to a niece, three nephews and three grandnephews; and soulmate to Sharon, his beloved wife, who predeceased him in 2015.

Walt’s passing leaves a deep hole in the hearts of his family, his Rough Notes team, the entire independent insurance agency and broker community, and countless other friends.

Based on his desire, Walt’s funeral will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Walt’s honor to Tunnels to Towers Foundation (t2t.org), which provides mortgage-free homes to Gold Star and fallen first responder families with young children and builds specially adapted smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders.